Reviewing The Passing of Mr. Quin: A Strange, Silent Christie Mystery

A dusty mystery for a Sunday afternoon

If you are a fan of Agatha Christy, you should probably give this a look just to say you’ve seen it. It’s one of those silent films that feels like it’s been sitting in a basement for eighty years, which it probably has. Most people will find it way too slow, honestly.

It’s not like Avatar where things are exploding every five seconds. There are no blue people here, just very pale British people in stiff collars. If you hate movies where you have to read cards to know what’s happening, stay away.

The story is about a doctor named Derek Capel. He’s married to a woman who had a first husband who died under some weird circumstances. A neighbor is running around pretending to be a tramp to cover up what really happened. It sounds like a lot, but on screen, it’s mostly people standing near fireplaces.

I noticed the makeup on the actors is incredibly thick. In some shots, the doctor looks like he’s wearing a mask of white flour. It makes his eyes look like two dark holes in a way that’s actually kind of spooky. I don't think they meant for it to be scary, but it is.

There is this one scene where a character looks through a window and the lighting is just... off. It makes the whole room look like it’s underwater. It’s a small thing, but it stayed with me longer than the actual plot did.

The neighbor who pretends to be a tamp—oops, tramp—is not very convincing. You can tell it’s him the second he walks on screen. He just looks like a rich guy who forgot to shave for two days and put on a dirty hat. It’s actually kinda funny if you look at his boots, which are way too nice for a beggar.

Vivian Baron has these eyes that just seem to take up half the screen. The way she looks at the camera makes you feel like she’s trying to tell you a secret the director didn't even know about. She has this very specific way of tilting her head when she’s worried. Very 1920s.

I kept thinking about The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu while watching this. That one feels much more like a serial with things happening constantly. This one is much more about people standing in rooms and thinking very hard.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Passing of Mr. Quin (1928) through its definitive frames.

The plot moves like molasses. But that's okay if you're in the right mood. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you that a conversation about a suicide note is the most exciting thing in the world.

There’s a scene where they’re all sitting around a big dining table. You can see the dust floating in the light beams from the windows. I wonder if they knew the camera was catching that or if it was just a dusty set. It makes the whole thing feel real in a way modern movies aren't.

The writing is by Leslie S. Hiscott and Christie herself, so the bones of the mystery are good. You can feel the stage play roots though. People enter and exit rooms like they’re waiting for their cues just out of sight. It’s very formal.

One of the actors, I think it was Clifford Heatherley, has this very stiff way of walking. Like his suit is two sizes too small and he’s afraid he might rip it if he breathes too deep. I found myself watching his shoulders more than his face. 🙄

The ending is sort of abrupt. It just... happens. No big speech or long chase, just a quick realization and then the credits roll. I actually liked that it didn't drag out the explanation like The Leavenworth Case does sometimes.

I caught a cat in the background of one of the outdoor shots. It just walks across the yard, stops, looks at the actors like they are idiots, and disappears. It’s my favorite part of the movie. It reminds you that movies used to be just people with a camera in a real place.

If you want to see how they did mysteries before everyone had a cell phone or DNA tests, give it a look. Just don't expect it to change your life. It’s a nice little relic from a time when movies were still trying to figure out how to talk without sound.

It’s definitely better than All Wrong, which really was all wrong. This one has a bit more heart. Or maybe just better wallpaper. I really liked the wallpaper in the doctor's house.